Will Japan finally make the Segway legal?

Back in 2005, I reported here about then-president Bush’s illegal gift of a Segway scooter to Japanese Prime Minister Koizumi. Bush and his team of boneheads were unaware that Segways were prohibited from Japanese streets (and sidewalks) by Japanese road laws.
Previously we reported how Toyota invented the Segway seven years too late, Toshiba invented the “Jegway” , and the LittleFeet” was even better.
Well, now Japan Inc. has a had change of heart and the city of Yokohama is petitioning the national government to change the Road Laws to allow the use of Segways in public spaces.

Japan to start embracing the Segway?CrunchGear.com 2009/April/06 – Segway’s Japanese subsidiary achieved an agreement with the city of Yokohama…will jointly try to convince the Japanese government to allow people to use Segways on designated public roads in the city…more…

Before Japan Inc. could come up competing models such as the Toyota “iSwing,” personal transporters like the Segway were only legal as a golf cart for use on private property.